The statement posted on the administration’s website said shells
targeted the city center, major streets, the railway station and
a market.

Lugansk residents reported a shell falling close to a church,
killing one person. They said the city was attacked by Ukrainian
army’s rockets fired from a military jet.

"Self-defense forces fired at [the aircraft] from manpads
[man-portable air defence systems], but we don’t know if they hit
it or not,” some locals were cited as saying by ITAR-TASS.

The Lisichansk Oil Refinery, property of the Russian oil company
Rosneft - recently sanctioned by the US - has also been attacked
and set on fire.

The opposition claims the refinery was targeted by Ukrainian army
from Grad multiple rocket launcher system.

Locals reports that the refinery, targeted in the early hours of
Friday, is still ablaze.

The artillery shelling that started overnight has left “85
percent of Lugansk” without electricity. Residents have no
tap water as local pumping stations were shut down.

It is likely that electrify will only be restored when shelling
stops, City Hall said. Due to continuing shelling, repairmen
can’t reach the station where power was disrupted.

Local media reports also say that there is no mobile connection,
internet or television.

So far Kiev’s forces have failed to enter Lugansk, but constant
shelling of living quarters claim the lives of civilians on a
daily basis.

The Lugansk city administration has issued a statement estimating
the number of killed and injured “recently.” While the
statement points out that the data does not include the July 18
shelling, it does not specify the dates on which the statistics
were collected.

According to the statement, 44 people have been killed, including
one child, and 215 wounded, including four children.

Fighting continues to the north of the city, in the village of
Metallist, 10km from Lugansk, and in the west, in Yubileynoye
settlement.

According to ITAR-TASS, self-defense forces claim they have
managed to push back Kiev troops in Metallist.

One of the shells has almost hit a local administration
headquarters, falling some 200 meters from it, Russian LifeNews
channel reported. It also said that another shell struck a
civilian house which was completely destroyed. The owner was
hospitalized.